Retirement Used To Be A Lot Easier. What Changed?
Over 58% Millennials and Gen Z say they don’t have enough saved to retire and half of Americans have NO savings at all. What happened? Millions of Americans used to rely on pensions from their employers but companies replaced them with something a lot riskier: the 401(k)
—–
More Perfect Union’s mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means:
We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective, and we attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions.
We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power, and we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems.
We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom. To support our work:
– Help fund our reporting: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mpu-splash
– Substack: https://substack.perfectunion.us/
– TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moreperfectunion
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS
– Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/moreperfectunion.bsky.social
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorePerfectUS
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectunion/
– Threads: https://www.threads.net/@perfectunion
– Website: https://www.perfectunion.us
Comments
Latest news
@cherylbarrett3443
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
We need to restructure corporate tax rates. Tax rates should be dependent upon how much society is benefitting from their enterprise. The lowest tax rates should be contingent upon providing living wages to all of their employees, providing pensions, and providing paid time off. Healthcare benefits should also be taken into consideration, unless Medicare for All is implemented as a favor to employers. Layoffs should also raise corporate tax rates. If their workers are eligible for SNAP or Medicaid, they should pay higher taxes. Corporations will never ever give any thought to anything but profits unless there are incentives for doing the right thing.
@KT-en8pq
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
As soon as the speaker started pointing a finger at Republicans……. ridiculous. Congress Hates Americans
@enriquerivera3821
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
I think the problem is not the investment vehicle you use to retire. The problem is people know they have a 401k but they don’t really know what that means. We need to educate our students at the high school level to make them aware of these retirement vehicles and how these retirement vehicles are actually used. There is no need for some fancy financial guy collecting 1% of whatever is in your plan if you understand how the broad market works I’m not talking about individual stocks but the market as a whole. A basic understanding of the way markets operate and understanding the power of compounding will make people invest in themselves on their 20’s rather than their 50’s when they’re staring at retirement in a few years. Compounding can make a consistent modest quantity over 30 years turn into millions in the future.
@riccardomelis102
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
401k views, lol
@user-si1ik3ye4w
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
This is a left wing viewpoint negative viewpoint video on social security. It was never meant to fully support retirement and when it was created, there were more workers paying into the system relative to the number of retirees. This is mainly due to the increase retirement age from 65 to 67 is much lower than he 15 year increase in life expectancy since the inception of social security. People need to take responsibility for their retirement, plan ahead and start saving as early as possible.
@FFn101
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Social security is a scam but having tax relief for people making most the money isn't 😂
@mikepetersen7319
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
It's your fault being poor is the same fairy tale Coca Cola invented to put blame on consumers for getting fatter or diabetes…just in between a new cover.
@zeyata-cicero-herron4608
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
It's depressingly astounding how much of problems we're facing today can be –for the most part– boiled down to the fact that we don't make enough money, and that living is too expensive.
@anthonyhudson3459
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
$3000 a month? Look at them flaunting their wealth.
@anthonyhudson3459
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Retirement often isn't about savings. It's about using capital leverage to skim value off people currently producing value.
@Darknessssxz
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
I think the video needs to correct a bit on pensions. I'm pretty sure pensions are vested in the stockmarket too just like a 401k. The video makes it seem like there's a huge difference between the two, but they're closer than you realize.
@carpentertrim
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Yes, it’s all the Republicans fall. I guess over there at your beloved Federal Reserve. They are all Republican.
@krunchhead
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Companies that dont cover 401k management fees and dont offer 401k matching are criminal! Both of those should be automatic! Pure greed is taking over.
@krunchhead
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
People like Ben Shapiro need to shut their trap and stop lying!!! Social Security has a CAP! Once you make over $ 176k (for 2025), you stop paying into SS for that year. Yep, that means ALL RICH PEOPLE stop contributing towards SS after the cap. Elon Musk stopped contributing to SS 1 second into the year 2025!
Raise the cap, make rich people pay more, SS will remain not only solvent, but viable foe the foreseeable future.
But rich people will complain, AND try and make Social Security tied to the stock market. Why? Because that would be a huge windfall for the financial sector and any large corporation. It's a crazy idea that should never get any oxygen.
@generositygamer7971
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
11:20 $1,800 a month is actually workable, at this moment. You can get an apartment for $1,000 a month, and have $800 left over to eat or do whatever with (including other bills, like utilities). You won't live lavishly, but it will allow you to be off the streets.
@ryaj2356
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Or how about the government actually tax the rich the same as the poor. Also, tax corporations since they don’t invest in their workers retirement, tax it from them since they took the retirement plan away as profits.
@ryaj2356
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
It’s corporate America. That’s it.
@KarmicKredit
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Regular people are TERRIFIED when you bring up how we’re all being fleeced. They would rather blame themselves than the system they live under.
@TransamMan84
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
my pension is 170k a year, your union is only as strong as the members.
@Mynamewasusedalready
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
I have been saying this about 401 k's for years… they robbed people of pensions.
@Dogman6573
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Awesome video, thanks for making it!
@internalwhack9638
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
the main thing in my mind is that people who didnt go to college because they couldn’t afford it or just werent smart enough are going to be left to die because they cant get most jobs because so many factories dont want to hire just anyone they only want to hire the perfect candidate its a sad reality
@vanjones1749
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
I don’t think privatization of any needed financial system is good in the long run for citizens, these private companies are only built to take money not sustain money. Or provide mine for others use
@GlennAbate
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Our system is not leading to a better standard of living. It hasn’t for the last 30. The system is obviously a failure
@GlennAbate
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
We’re being enslaved.
@richardlocke7264
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
put away 10-15% every month, invest in S&P500; retirement is not difficult. 401Ks are better than pensions, corporations can raid pensions- NOT 401Ks.
@Alejandro-s3z8o
December 30, 2025 at 4:52 pm
It is our fault for falling for the ponzy scheme of currency. You can't win at someone else's game.
Comments are closed.